Railway-switch stand.



J. O. BUR-NS RAILWAY SWITCH STAND.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.5, 1914.

LJLQ'YMWD Patented Feb. 9, 1915. g m m @w 5* a THE NORRIS PETERS 60., PHOTO-L/THO., WASHING/ON. D. c.

JAMES C). BURNS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAILVJ'AY-SWITCH STAND.

isteria.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

Application filed. September 5, 1914. Serial No. 860,489.

To alien/10m. it may concern Be it known that I, Janus O. BURNs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of lllinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Railway-Switch Stands, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to railway switch stands and has for its object the provision of an improved construction whereby the wheels of a locomotive or other railway vehicle will not be liable accidentally to throw switch points of railroad switches.

My invention may generally be described as comprising railway switch operating mechanism including a shaft in operating connection with the switch, a handle for operating the switch and having two alternative positions to correspond with the al-,

ternative adjustments of the switch, a looking plate turning with the shaft and car-' rying two catches for holding the handle and switch in their alternative positions, a latch positioned to engage one or the other of said catches when the handle is brought to one of its alternative positions, and a releasing plate in lost motion connection with the locking plate and carrying cams that are individual and contiguous to said catches, the lost motion afforded between the locking and releasing plates permitting breakage of the lockingengageinent of the latch during the initial movement of the handle from rest thereafter to permit the locking plate to turn as movement of the handle is continued to operate the switch, such lost motion also preventing movement of the switch to be effectively communicated to the releasing plate.

I will explain my invention more fully by reference to the accompanying drawing showing the preferred embodiment thereof and in which Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating parts of a railway switch and switch stand operating in conjunction therewith; Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is an end view of the structure as it appears in Fig. 1.; Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view of a part of the structure adjacent its weighted operating arm; Fig. is a view on line 5 5 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing a different relative position of some of the parts.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the different figures.

l have illustrated one form of switch that includes switch points 1 coupled by tie rods 2 and being together provided with a lug or extension 3 having connection with one end of a pitman 4 whose other end is connected with a crank 5 mounted upon the lower end of a switch operating shaft 6. The upper end of this switch may be equipped with some suitable signal such, for example, as a target 7. The shaft 6 carries a miter gear or pinion 8 in mesh with another miter gear or pinion 9 that is fixedly mounted upon a shaft 10 journaled in a bearing 11 whose lower part is carried by and extends outwardly from the lower part of a housing 12 that incloses the gears 8 and 9. The upper part of the bearing is separate from the lower part and is bolted thereto as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3. The upper portion of this hearing constitutes a mounting for parts of the structure of my invention. A weighted switch operating handle 13 is provided with a hub portion. 14 that itself is free of direct mechanical connection with the shaft 10, this hub portion 14 being connected with a releasing disk 15 by means of pins 16 that enter holes in the hub 14 and holes in the disk 15, the latter holes being indicated at 17. The re leasing disk 15 has limited lost motion connection with a locking disk 18 which is secured to the shaft 10 by means of a pin 19. The lost motion connection between the releasing disk or plate 15 and the locking disk or plate 18 may be effected by any suitable means. I have shown a segmental lug 20 upon the releasing plate 15 and a segmental slot 21 in the locking plate 18, the lug and slot being concentric, the slot being longer than the lug. The handle 18 has two alternative positions, one shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 3 and the other being one in which the handle occupies a position substantially 180 from that shown. Whenever the handle 13 is turned switch operating motion is communicated from it to the switch points '1 through the pins 16, the plate 15 in fixed relation to the handle by means of-the pins 16, the segmental lug 20 after the lost motion has been consumed, the locking plate 18, the shaft 10 upon which this plate is rigidly secured, the pinions 8 and 9, the shaft 6, the crank 5, the pitman 4, and the extension 3. In the initial movement of the handle 13 from either of its positions of rest one or the other of the cams 22 will raise the latch 23 (this latch being pivoted upon the bearing 11) from engagement with one of the two catches 24 with which it was previously brought into engagement, this result occurring during the lost motion period so that when the motion of the handle is finally communicated to the shaft 10 the latch 23 is out of engagement with the catch 24: previously engaged thereby whereafter the switch points may be operated upon the continued movement of the handle 13. One cam 22 and one catch 24: contiguous thereto are individual to one of the alternative positions of the handle 13 while the other cam 22 and catch 24 are individual to the other alternative position of said handle 13 so that the latch 23 is elevated from engagement with the locking plate 18 when the handle is moved from either of its positions to the other. The provision of lost motion connection between the locking plate and releasing plate is of utmost importance since the handle may initially release the latch before operating the switch and since the wheels of the locomotive or other vehicle are not adapted to operate the releasing plate since any turning effort which these wheels communicate to the shaft 10 is obstructed by the latch'23 before opportunity is afforded for communicating this turning effort to the releasing plate 15.

The invention has been shown as being applied to a switch stand having the horizontal shaft 10 and the verticalshaft 6 in gear connection, on which account the latch 23 may be placed in locking position through the action of gravity, saidlatch being horizontally disposed. I do not wish tobe limited, however, to the embodiment of my in- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for vention in the type of switch stands illustrated nor to the employment of a latch 23 that is operated solely by gravity.

WVhile I have herein shown and particularly described the preferred embodiment of my invention I do not Wish to be limited to the precise details of construction shown as changes may readily be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, but

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following Railway switch operating mechanism ineluding a shaft in operating connection with the switch; a handle for operating the switch and having two alternative positions to correspond with the alternative adjust ments of the switch; a locking plate turning with the shaft and carrying two catches for holding the handle and switch in their alternative positions; a latch positioned to engage one or the other of said catches when the handle is brought to one of its alternative positions; and a releasing plate turning with the handle and in lost motion connection with the locking plate and carrying cams that are individual and contiguous to said catches, the lost motion effort between the locking and releasing plates permitting breakage of the locking engagement of the latch during the initial movement of the handle from rest thereafter to permit the locking plate and shaft to turn as movement of the handle is continued to operate the switch, such lost motion also preventing movement of the switch to be effectively communicated therefrom to the releasing plate.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my full name this (3th day of Aug. A. D., 1914.

JAMES O. BURNS.

Witnesses HENRY HEINER, \VM. ARMITAGE.

five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. 

